Yamaha Shows Off Snazzy, Impossibly Light Electric Bike Concepts

Yamaha is going all-out at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, bringing a handful of concepts that point the way forward, along with one firmly rooted in the past, just to balance things out.

The headliner is the PES1 above. It’s Yamaha’s latest electric bike concept, and at an unbelievably lightweight 220 pounds, it’s the electric motorcycle we’ve been waiting for. The battery pack is mounted in the middle and acts as a stressed member of the chassis, with the headstock and swing arm integrated into the exceptionally lithe frame. A brushless DC motor is fixed low in the body, with the rear shock below. The transmission is a fully automated box, with the ability to go from manual to automatic control with the flick of a switch. Despite the lack of indicators, mirrors, and a license plate holder, the PES1 looks remarkably production ready, although that gaping hole in the “tank” would be better used to pack a few extra kWh of battery cells, and we have no idea how Yamaha could keep the curb weight so low without severely limiting the range.

If the PES1 is unbelievably light, then the PED1 is completely implausible. Based on the same architecture as its road-going counterpart, Yamaha claims that the off-roader can swap batteries with the PES1 and tips the scales at just 188 pounds. That’s probably why they didn’t even bother throwing a seat on the thing.

Naturally, a fleet of bike concepts wouldn’t be complete without an electrified scooter, and for Yamaha, that means yanking the internal combustion engine and CVT from a Vino and stuffing it full of an electric drivetrain. With the EVINO, the lithium-ion battery and controller are mounted underneath the seat, while the electric motor is integrated into the rear swing arm, and all of it is out there for the world to see, with no bodywork hiding the geeky bits.

Finally, there’s the Bolt Café, based on the Bolt cruiser that’s been competing — sorta — with the entry-level Harley-Davidson Sportster. It’s a retrotastic amalgamation of top-shelf suspension and braking bits, with a flourish of brown leather on the seat and handlebars, matte black finishes, and the Bolt’s 950cc air-cooled V-twin mounted in the middle. It’s hot, but Yamaha doesn’t have any plans to produce it and doesn’t even mention offering factory-supplied parts to make it a reality. Bummer.